Dunbarton House, 70 Dunbarton Street, Loughans, Gilford, CRAIGAVON, BT63 6HJ

Dunbarton House is a two-storey with attic, three-bay early Victorian house built circa 1845, possibly to designs by architect Thomas Jackson. The building is situated at the end of a long sweeping driveway off Dunbarton Street, north west of Gilford village centre.

The house is constructed to a square plan with a prostyle tetrastyle porch, bowed bays, and a rear return. The hipped natural slate roof features leaded hips and is surmounted by a balustraded widow's walk surrounding chimney stacks with multiple tall octagonal yellow clay pots. Paired shaped eaves brackets frame soffit pateras. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. The walling is stucco rendered with rusticated channelling to the ground floor, a plat band to the first-floor cill course, and a frieze course over paired corner pilasters.

Windows are predominantly 6/6 timber sliding sash windows with horns, featuring moulded stucco surrounds with dentilled entablature and painted masonry cills. The prostyle tetrastyle Ionic portico has a dentilled entablature and is surmounted by a balcony with cast-iron balustrade. The portico is infilled with timber panelled and glazed screens forming an enclosed porch. The timber panelled entrance door features bolection mouldings, four glazed upper panes, and a rectangular bipartite overlight.

The principal elevation, facing south west, is symmetrically arranged. The central bay comprises the portico with a tri-partite window directly over, flanked by single ground and first-floor windows. The tripartite window comprises a 6/6 sliding sash flanked by 2/2 sliding sashes with horizontal glazing bars, with a panelled timber frame rising to decorative console brackets.

The north west elevation is asymmetrically arranged. A tripartite bowed bay window to the ground floor right features curved sashes (2/2, 6/6, 2/2) with replacement console brackets and panelled outer pilasters rising to a dentilled entablature surmounted by a cast-iron balustrade. To the left of the bowed bay is a former window opening altered to accommodate a door with four glazed upper panels over two solid panels. A single ground-floor window stands to the left. Four uniformly arranged first-floor windows are present. A 3/3 sliding sash gabled dormer window to the right has a leaded roof and slated cheeks, with a roof light to the left. The left is abutted by a double-height rendered wall enclosing the rear yard.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged with a gabled rear return left of centre, a two-storey flat-roofed abutment to the left, and a single-storey lean-to abutment to the right. Bipartite 6/6 ground-floor and single first-floor windows to the rear elevation stand right of the return. A casement dormer window sits right of centre with a quadripartite roof light to the left and a diminutive bipartite roof light to the right. The return is subservient with lower eaves and ridge levels, decorative barge boards, and a blank gable end. The right cheek has a ground-floor window to centre and a door and window to far right, with a window to centre and right at first-floor level. The left cheek has a 4/4 window to far left, a window left of centre and to right, with matching windows directly over at first floor; no ornamentation is present. The single-storey abutment is L-shaped with a wraparound lean-to roof and curved corner, featuring a variety of windows and doors. A two-storey abutment comprises a ground-floor four-panelled door to the right with a 1/1 timber sliding sash window to far right and a 1/1 timber sliding sash window directly over the door at first floor. A single ground and first-floor window stands to the left cheek. A pump is located to the rear.

The south east elevation is asymmetrically arranged. A tripartite bowed bay window to the ground floor left features curved sashes (2/2, 6/6, 2/2) with original console brackets and panelled outer pilasters rising to a dentilled entablature surmounted by a cast-iron balustrade. Two windows stand to the right of the bowed bay. Four uniformly arranged openings are present at first floor; French doors stand left of centre, with the remaining three being windows. A 3/3 sliding sash gabled dormer window to the left has a leaded roof and slated cheek. The right is abutted by a double-height rendered wall enclosing the rear yard.

The setting comprises well-maintained mature landscaped grounds to the south and east. A modern entrance with squared masonry retaining wall running parallel to the main road has been constructed to the south east. Modern pillars support original relocated gates and pedestrian gates. A sweeping inclining driveway leads to a gravel forecourt addressing the principal elevation.

The rear yard is accessed by an elliptical arch and is enclosed by brick and rendered walls with two-storey outbuildings to the north east. These outbuildings feature a pitched natural slate roof, rough-cut rubble masonry walling laid to courses with brick surrounds to openings, brick chimneys, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Windows are largely replacement and the buildings have been partially modified to modern accommodation. A central segmental-arched coach entrance leads into a rear cobbled courtyard. A two-storey gabled natural slate red-brick stable block stands to the north west, largely altered including a World War II squash court. A single-storey mono-pitched natural slate red-brick stable block is located to the south east with replacement doors, fixed multi-paned lights, and a chimney left of centre. A simple cast-iron water pump stands adjacent. The area is enclosed to the north east by a rubble masonry wall with squared brick piers and granite caps, with replacement timber-sheeted gates.

A terraced garden and conservatory stand to the south east. A small lean-to red-brick shed with fixed multi-pane lights is positioned to the right of the conservatory. A World War II air raid shelter is located to the south.